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WE"VE MOVED!

Due to the success of our last event, we now have our own URL!!!! Please update your bookmark.

To find out more information about the authors involved and to stay up-to-date, please visit us at www.celebratewithabook.com

See you on the other side! :)

Did you know that there is less than one month until the next event?

Celebrate with a Book is counting down to the next event, scheduled for May 11, 2013 at Regency Square Mall from 10 A.M. until 4 P.M.

A Wonderful SUCCESS!!!

By Tina Glasneck

Thanks to everyone that showed up on the 15th. The "Celebrate with a Book" Author Book Fair was a success!

It was a complete pleasure for me to not only meet these amazing people, but to also have an opportunity to work with them. Our spirits were high and merry!

Below are some of the wonderful pictures featuring the authors at their tables.

Did you stop by the fair?

I hope you have enjoyed this adventure as much as I have, and that you've been able to discover many new authors and the wonderful tales that they weave.  Thank you for taking the time out to "Celebrate a Book" with us and may your holiday season be merry and bright.

The Ten Second Commute

 The Ten Second Commute.

Jennifer Anne Gregory

As a freelance writer it’s a given I work from home, or, if I hitch a plane to England, my mother’s. Mostly my day goes a bit like this and I hope my publisher has suddenly lost the ability to read.

Plan to write.

Get dragged down the road by the Mastiff and Anatolian (dogs).

Respond to e-mails.

Plan to write.

Get dragged again.

Do laundry ‘coz being at home I see it pile up.

Eat lunch.

Plan some writing time.

Text, skype or call my mother to apologize for not texting, skyping or calling since the last time a full moon fell on the third Wednesday of the month.

Plan dinner.

Plan to write the next day.

Plan to convince those nearest and dearest that I do, in fact, have a job.

At some point a friend informs me via e-mail that I have it easy. Being a writer I must have lots of time on my hands.  She wishes she could just take ‘time off.’ Really?

Make that both of us.

A 121212 GIVE AWAY! ENTER TO WIN!

121212

Today is the magical date of 121212! There are sure to be tons of mass weddings, and a lot of LUCK!

I love numbers and am very partial to one in general. I've always had a thing for numbers divisible by 3. Maybe I fall into the category of the superstitious, but today I want to pass on some of the amazing luck to you.

A Woman Named Charles

June Pair Kilpatrick

When we experience some degree of success, large or small, our minds frequently turn back to a person, perhaps a teacher, who helped steer us in the right direction. The grads of old John Marshall High School in Richmond can hardly get together without Miss Charles Anthony's name coming up. Among us, particularly the writers, she is still a legend although she's been gone for fifty years.

In my senior year there, I was assigned to the journalism class, presided over by this legend, a no-nonsense teacher who held a master's degree in English from Columbia and, with her class, put out a newspaper called The Monocle. The Monoclewas so good that it is the one high school paper included in the Library of Virginia's Newspaper Project.

Reflections

*MY DEAR ROSA JEAN* is about a woman's survival and eventual recovery from child abuse that had led to domestic violence in her adult life. Through the eyes of the protagonist, Rosa Jean, this serious issue is shared with her aunt. Coming from a different perspective, her Aunt Grace supports and influences her to further recovery and spiritual growth.

What is the Process of Writing a Novel - Part 2

"One of the things I have learned over the years as I have grown in my writing is just how important it is to also grow as a reader.  As such, I have become more involved with the reading and writing communities that are available to me (and you)."

This is the continuation of Chris revealing his twelve steps to writing. To view part one. which includes steps 1-6, please check out his prior post.

A 12 Step Novel Writing Process

Part 2: Steps 7-12

The False Tree

By Wendy Custer

My family has made a special tradition each Christmas season of cutting our own tree.  Every year there is a disagreement between my husband, Jerry, and our oldest son, Carter.  Carter grew up having a White Pine Christmas tree and Jerry despises White Pines.  When we got married and joined our families five years ago, the dispute began!  Some years Jerry wins and others he gives in to Carter's wishes.  This year, since our regular farm was no longer in business, we found a new tree farm.  On the way to find the perfect Christmas tree, the old discussion made its way into the conversation.  

"What kind of trees do they have?" Carter quizzed.

Jerry quickly returned, "Real Christmas trees!"

"White pines are Christmas trees!"

"No," Jerry teased, "White Pines are false trees!"

10 Days and counting...

LESS THAN 10 DAYS UNTIL....

"Celebrate with a Book" Author Book Fair

Come one, come all to the first annual Regency Square Mall Book Fair, where twenty Virginian authors will sign their books. 

Signed books make GREAT gifts! Find the perfect gift for the book lover on your list. There will be something for everyone, ranging from children's books to romance. 












When: Saturday, DECEMBER 15, 2012 from 10:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m.

Where: Regency Square Mall - right outside of the J.C. Penney on the first floor.

1420 North Parham Road  Richmond, VA 23229

The voices in my head

Mechele Armstrong

My husband once said to me to be careful who I talked about characters to because some people might think I'm crazy. LOL I'm not crazy, I'm a writer!

When I was little, I had lots of imaginary friends. I also played elaborate games with my stuffed animals and even the crayons in my crayon box. The crayon box was a kingdom and each color had a part to play in the story.

All of this translated into having characters in my head. I think it's why I love to read so much, because I can live with those characters throughout the story and if it's written well enough, the characters do seem like they live with me. I almost hate to finish because I don't want the characters to leave me.

Daddy's Christmas Angel

by Mary Montague Sikes

Descriptive Blurb: In Daddy’s Christmas Angel, seven-year-old Kathleen Ryan connives to have her father meet her second grade teacher. However, the only commitment David Ryan wants is to his daughter, and Angie McAllister wants no commitment other than to her own independence. Will Kathleen’s schemes change both of their minds and lead to romance? Can she manage to change all three of their lives forever? Think “Sleepless in Seattle” meets “Love Story”.

Embedded in the Past – U.S. Civil War Correspondents

By Donna Dalton

The idea for my historical romance THE REBEL WIFE evolved from our current-day journalists chronicling the Iraq War.  I wondered about the “embeds” of the past and decided to research the newsmen of the American Civil War. 

I credit Brayton Harris’ BLUE & GRAY IN BLACK & WHITE with much of what I will talk about today. The information he provided regarding the newspapers in the Civil War was invaluable.

Many of the correspondents who covered the War at the beginning were already considered experienced newsmen.  As months turned into years, those veteran journalist were joined by novices and by war’s end some five hundred had served as “special correspondents”.  Only a handful of the original newsmen were still in the field in 1865. Along the way, some died, victims of a combat in which they were unlucky spectators . Nearly fifty were held as prisoners of war. A few were promoted to editor and pulled back to the home office. Some were fired for incompetence; others banished from the Army for breaching the rules. Most were just plain worn out.

What’s the first thing you notice about a book?

April Michelle Davis

What’s the first thing you notice about a book?

Now imagine yourself in a bookstore. You are looking for a good book. What about a book is going to pique your interest to make you pick it up? Possibly the cover art, the title, or the author? What’s the next thing you might look at?  The opening lines?  You open the book to the first page, and guess what? The opening lines are boring; they don’t grab your attention and make you want to read the book. So you toss the book aside and look for a new one.

Finding Bailey

On guard...Mastiff Bailey (left) and Anatolian Shepherd, Mouse (lying down,right) with the author and pet parent outside the ‘dog paddock’.  Mastiffs enjoy plenty of space to roam freely.  The shelter in the background is filled with straw, making an ideal retreat on chilly mornings.

Although I consider myself primarily an author of paranormal fiction, this Thanksgiving weekend, I was drawn to think of the many animals with whom I have had the privilege to share my home and my life with.  From ducks, terrapins, cats, dogs, ponies, hamsters and rabbits, all of whom have given so generously of themselves..leaving trails of vet bills, dog hair, puppy pee and endless paw prints across my wood floor and onto my heart.  For the blessings, the smiles and the borrowed time spent among my non-human angels, i thank you all.

Finding Bailey.

I was thirteen when I acquired my first English Mastiff.  His name was Chuckles and he lived quite happily for a number of years inside my head along with an assortment of other animals I was permitted to own; including three horses, several goats, a duck named Cactus Jack, and a couple of cows.  Cheap to keep, they required no feeding, no grande mansion and no offshore bank account. 

A Cup of Encouragement: An Excerpt

An Excerpt from A Cup of Encouragement - Inspiring Stories to Fill Your Cup

by Wendy Custer

Over the past few years when I have been discouraged, I find myself heading to visit my friend, Heather.  We always sit at the kitchen table and chat, and amidst the normal chaos of her life – small children, a million projects, meal preparations, phone ringing, etc. – I always find encouragement.  There is a peace, a calm that prevails over and above the mayhem.  Without fail when I am low, Heather always makes a cup of her tea and I sip on it while I share my sorrows. 

The Value of Thanksgiving

The Value of Thanksgiving by Tina Glasneck

When I was younger, Thanksgiving was always about people being dressed as turkeys and my mother standing in the kitchen for hours preparing what would be our delicious meal. Thanksgiving was a time when family and friends would come together; it was the starting point for the holiday season filled with well-wishes and thanks. As we grow older, sometimes the idea of getting together with family isn't as simple as a piece of sweet potato pie.

My Plethora of Ideas

Carin Casey

Readers have asked me where I get the ideas for my stories. Most story lines initially come from personal memories about people, places and/or events that I've either experienced myself or knew about during my lifetime.

For example, If I would think about the first time a friend disappointed me, I'd have to go back to grade school.

Writing is Therapy, and So Is a Book!

As an author of fiction and nonfiction, plus writing under my own name and a pseudonym too, people wonder if it can all be done. I’m here to tell you, YES! It’s all about what you want to write, and what I write I enjoy reading. As a child, I never thought I couldn’t write a story, I went ahead and did it. Been doing this since age 8. I loved reading books, but I wanted to make up my own adventures. So, that’s what I did. I wrote science fiction, scary, and animal stories. Like another author, June Pair Kilpatrick posted here back on November 13^th, it’s all about the ingredients and how you cook them to make that story.

What is the Process of Writing a Novel? Part 1

Chris Sorensen

One of my readers asked me last week, "How do you get from having a simple story idea to the completed manuscript?"

I talk to people all the time who have a wonderful book idea.  Unfortunately, they don't ever see it come to fruition because they don't know where to start.  The thought of going from a small ten word sentence to 150-300 page book is daunting...for all of us.

An Interview with David Corbin from Out of the Ashes

Today, Lori Dillion interviews David Corbin from Out of the Ashes

Who are you?

David Corbin

Past Life: slave gladiator

Current Life: WWII American spy

What was the scariest moment of your life?

Which life? Death by volcano was no picnic, let me tell ya. But watching Sabina (Sera) die in my arms and there was nothing I could do to save her, that was the worst. Of all the times I faced death in the arena, I was never so scared, or felt so helpless, as I did in that moment.